Former president Thabo Mbeki says the destruction of the SA Revenue Service began during his successor Jacob Zuma’s term.

Mbeki, who was speaking at the University of SA yesterday on broader socio-political issues, cited the findings of the Nugent commission and state capture inquiry report to outline how decisions were taken to destroy the institution. The Nugent commission, chaired by retired judge Robert Nugent, was set up to investigate tax administration and governance at Sars.

Mbeki's comments came as the MK party announced Zuma, 81, as its presidential candidate for the national and provincial elections on May 29. Zuma served two terms as president before he was recalled by the ANC.

Mbeki described MK party, a breakaway from the ANC, as being led by the same people who tried to destroy Sars. He said this is what South Africans needed to be aware of  and understand heading in to the polls next month.

He said one of the frustrating things about 30 years of democracy is what has happened at different periods. One of these periods, Mbeki said, was during Zuma’s tenure when SARS, which had been outperforming itself in terms of revenue collection prior, went the opposite direction.

“Sars started underperforming so that raised the question 'what is wrong?' That’s how the Nugent commission was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to answer this question 'what has gone wrong?',” Mbeki said.

“The Nugent commission says, I am summarising, that some people took a decision to destroy the institution…Now that’s a very remarkable statement because Sars is responsible for 95-98% of state revenue. You destroy Sars you destroy the democratic state. And yet there were people who took a decision to do exactly that. The report gives in great detail what it is that happened to destroy these institutions.”

Mbeki said these were people who are hostile to the democratic state and don’t want it to succeed. “If you take away these revenues it won’t be possible for the state to succeed. Those are people who didn’t like our democracy and wanted something else,” he said.

Mbeki also cited the state capture commission of inquiry report prepared by chief justice Raymond Zondo, saying it had further said people who were responsible for destroying Sars included Zuma.

“And it [inquiry report] says in black and white that Jacob Zuma was part of the leadership process to destroy Sars. That’s not my opinion, I am telling you what the Zondo commission says.  That’s a bit of a conundrum that you would have the president of the Republic of South Africa participating in a process to destroy the institution that gives him the means to govern.

“That’s the kind of contradiction that then raises a question, 'who indeed is this president?' Because there is no way you are going to be able to square the circle that the president of the Republic of SA acts to destroy the Sars.”

Mbeki said it was not everybody who celebrated the advent of democracy in 1994. He said for some citizens, 1994 represented a defeat. He said the message sent by the Nugent commission report was very stark.

He urged South Africans to make a distinction of the country ‘s 30 years of democracy in the context of the May 29 elections.

“I think we need to understand that context in order to make sure who are we voting for, who are these people?” he said. “One of the things that worries is that I think as a country we don’t understand SA in the same way. I think we carry South Africa differently in our heads hence we come with different solutions for whatever the challenges are.”

Additional reporting Noxolo Sibiya and Jeanette Chabalala